Governing students

Huong Chim of Grand Rapids is finishing up her first term as A-Section Student Senate president.

Huong Chim spent her first term as A-Section Student Senate president by making connections. The Grand Rapids woman began her one-year term as president of student government in January.

A senior at Kettering, she is majoring in Electrical Engineering with an interest in consumer electronics.

Chim is an active student leader on campus in a variety of roles. She uses a personal theme of "making connections" to guide her. "I'm working to help students be more informed on what's going on at Kettering," she said. "We're working for more student input in day-to-day activities and in building a sense of community at Kettering. Kettering is a small and friendly school. It is a good fit for me since I was looking for a small campus."

Her professional co-op is at Dematic Corp. in Grand Rapids.

Chim said she is having an "amazing" experience as a co-op student at Dematic. "My co-op employer understands my skills and utilizes them," she said. "Kettering’s co-op program is one of a kind. I was already working to make people's lives easier as a freshman co-op. By the end of my freshman year, it was as if I'd already written a mini-thesis.

"Co-op gives you the opportunity to learn on the job, which in turn makes school easier and more productive," she said. "And when you give students a good experience, they’re excited about going to school which then improves their work experience."

Additionally, she is president of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority and is the current Greek Woman of the Year at Kettering, where fraternities and sororities make up more than 40 percent of the student population. She was secretary of the Residence Hall Association, helping plan events like organizing volunteer activities at Flint's Carriage Town soup kitchen.

She has served as a crew member for Kettering's popular Camp Compass student orientation program. She is part of Kettering's select Leaders Endowment, an organization dedicated to preparing new student leaders. She mentors incoming women students and was a finalist for Kettering's prestigious Woman of the Year honor.

Chim plans to graduate from Kettering in June 2012 and then hopes to earn a Ph.D. In April, she will study abroad in Ulm, Germany.

"I'm a good example of what happens when you pursue the things that you love," she added.